USU basketball: Free throws, or the lack thereof, cost Aggies

LAS CRUCES, N.M. — The No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the nation in terms of field goal percentage, Utah State and Boise State, squared off in the Western Athletic Conference semifinals Friday night.

So the game was going to be decided on the defensive end and the foul line.

Both teams made 28 field goals, and both teams made 11 3-pointers, but Boise State made 10 more foul shots in posting the 88-78 victory.

Entering the game, ironically, the Aggies were also leading the nation in team free-throw percentage, and Utah State's Jaycee Carroll ranked third in the nation at 92.3 percent.

Boise State connected on 21-of-26 from the line, while Utah State connected on 11-of-12, but Carroll didn't attempt one free throw for the second straight game.

At halftime, the Broncos led by five and had made 7-of-8 from the foul line, while Utah State had converted 6-of-7.

Naturally, the Broncos attempted and made a lot of foul shots in the final minutes because Utah State was attempting to foul in an effort to get back into the game.

In all, the Aggies were called for 20 fouls and Boise State just 12.

Foul shooting has been a problem for the Broncos, as they entered the game ranked 269th in the nation at 65.9 percent. In their last game against Utah State, the Broncos connected on just 21-of-33.

But the Broncos' high free-throw percentage, and their 50.9 percent shooting from the field compared to Utah State's 49.1 percent, led to Boise's victory.

"They score a lot of points and in the two (regular-season) wins we had we actually kept them down in terms of points," Utah State coach Stew Morrill said.

In Logan, the Aggies outscored the Broncos 82-78, but dominated the Broncos in Boise, 88-69.

In their win Friday, the Broncos got solid point production from Reggie Larry (23), Matt Bauscher (23) and Aaron Garner (14).

"With the big guys they have inside, you have to pick your poison, but their guards were pretty much on," Utah State guard Kris Clark said. "Everybody needed to guard their position, and that didn't happen like we wanted it to."

Garner, who had scored just 39 points in the Broncos' previous 31 games combined, came in off the bench and at one point scored 11 straight points, and the last eight of his run wiped away Utah State's seven-point, first-half lead.

"Sometimes that's what happens. A guy steps up and makes shots," Morrill said. "We were trying to help in the post, and he got a lot of looks and he knocked them down."

Garner and Bauscher, who was held scoreless against the Aggies in Boise last week, were a combined 8-of-10 from the 3-point line. In all, the Broncos drilled 11 3s.

"Man, he was the X factor for them," Clark said. "That's what you need is a guy like that that can sneak in for you. He played big for them."

The season isn't over for the Aggies (24-10), however. Due to their WAC title and No. 1 seed in the WAC Tournament, they are guaranteed a place in the National Invitation Tournament, and they will receive that invite tonight.

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